Success!

The cooking of the ducks was a success! I have to say, this may be one of my most favorite cooking memories.  This whole experience with the ducks has been a new and invigorating one. Although I was not able to bring it completely from field to table, I was pretty damn close.

I decided that I wanted to fix two different plates with my ducks. Feeding my family of four, I hoped it would be not only edible, but filling enough for everyone, while offering a new culinary exposure. I surfed the web, looked at nearly a dozen cook books, through magazines and finally found two that turned me on (both from my beloved Food & Wine Magazine - with modifications)...

Last Night's Menu:

Slow-Roasted Female Mallard Duck with Orange-Sherry Sauce over a bed of Carrot and Roasted Red Peppers with Oyster Mushrooms paired nicely with The Black Box Sauvignon Blanc

AND

Pan-Roasted Male Mallard Duck with Onions and Pancetta Risotto with Roasted Brussel Sprouts paired nicely with The Black Box Shiraz

The slow roasting of the duck began with stuffing the inside cavity with onions and rosemary springs. I salt and peppered the outside, basted with melted butter. Unfortunately I did not have any butcher's twine, so I improvised with wooden skewers to keep the back closed. I roasted the duck at 500 degrees F for 15 minutes, then lowered the oven temp to 350. I continued to bast the duck every 30 minutes for about a hour and a half to two hours, loosely covered.

While the duck was roasting away, I roasted two red bell peppers on two gas burners. Stuck them in a paper bag and let them steam for 10 minutes. The peppers were then peeled, seeds and ribs removed, and cut into 1/4-inch strips (matchsticks).

I then peeled 4 carrots, and cut them into matchsticks as well. I blanched them in boiling water for 1 minute, before dumping them into an ice bath to stop the cooking. With some melted unsalted butter, I tossed the peppers and carrots. After the duck had been roasting for 1 1/2 hours, 2 cups of fresh orange, 1 cup of dry sherry, and 1/2 cup of soy sauce was added the the bottom of the roasting pan. The duck was uncovered, and roasted 25 more minutes.

After the fat was removed, the liquid goes into a saucepan, brought to a boil, and allowed to reduce by half. The duck was transferred to a cutting board to cook slightly. Meanwhile, I cooked the oyster mushrooms in a little bit of butter over moderately high heat until golden brown. I stuck the carrot/pepper mixture into the oven to warm, and removed the breast meat.

I was also roasting brussel sprouts for the next dish, so when plating this one I added them in for a little color,as well some fresh parsley. Given another chance, I would have used some Chinese egg noodles, as it had that Asian flavor with the soy.

Slow-Roasted Duck with Orange Sherry Sauce

For the second duck, I removed the breasts from the body, leaving the fat intact, while my second oven heated to 450 degrees F. I scored the fat in a crosshatch pattern and seasoned with salt and pepper. I sliced a large red onion into 1/2 slices, tossed in olive oil with thyme and sage leaves. I roasted the onions for 20-25 minutes, tossing once. Leave the oven on.

I heated a cast iron skillet with a little butter, and placed the duck breasts skin-side down. I also threw the legs in for the hell of it, knowing there wasn't much meat on them. I cooked the duck for 7-8 minutes, until the skin was crisp and golden. I turned the duck, and then placed it in the oven for about 8 minutes for medium rare (145-150 degrees). I let the duck rest until I was ready to slice it.

The risotto was made traditional with pieces of pancetta thrown into the pot for some added flavor. The brussel sprouts roasted at 400 degrees for 35-40 minutes. Once the duck breasts were removed from the skillet I added 1/2 pound of chopped pancetta and cooked until crisp. One minced garlic clove was added. Luckily, one perk of being in culinary school with some wonderful Chefs, I was given some espagnole sauce and veal glace, in place of my chicken/duck demiglace. I added about 1/2 cup of the espagnole and 1/4 cup of veal glace. I didn't have any sherry vinegar, so I used some white wine vinegar and some sherry cooking wine. I let the sauce thicken slightly and sliced the duck...

The fat could have been slightly more crisp, but it was not chewy and had a great flavor. So in plating, the risotto acted as a nice base, accompanied with the roasted brussel sprouts, medium-rare duck, and topped with the crispy onions and chives.

pan-Roasted Duck Breasts with Onions and Pancetta

The duck was not gamey or tough at all. It was very tasty, everyone was left satisfied, even my mom who is not a "game bird" fan. I have to admit, I am eager to go duck hunting and if I can't go hunting, I will take wild duck off any one's hands at any time... Girl Hunter all the way!

Cheese and what-you-have throw together...

I love cheese, and I was pleasantly surprised to find that Friday, 20 January, was National Cheese Lover's Day. Yes, there is such a day...

The House Mouse

SO, Friday evening I was rummaging through the fridge and pantry looking for a throw-together meal... I ended up with some Gruyere cheese, Gorgonzola, cream cheese, artichokes, spinach, bacon, and elbow macaroni. I would have loved to have had some sun-dried tomatoes to throw into the mix, but if it had been a planned meal it probably would've taken a different shape anyway...

I chopped the artichokes and spinach. Creamed the cream cheese, Gruyere, and Gorgonzola, reserving some of the grated Gruyere for topping. I cooked the pasta, then poured the hot noodles into the cheese mixture. The heat from the noodles melted the cheese into an ooey gooey goodness. In went the artichoke and spinach. I put it into a casserole dish, topped with the remaining Gruyere and stuck it into the fridge.

Saturday after my rather barbaric afternoon activities (ie ducks), nothing sounded better than a fire, some much needed company, wine, and casserole. Now I know that box wine is also known as "poor man's wine" in the United States, and notably has never been very good wine. Bag-in-box (BIB) became popular in 1960's Australia. Not long after, Europe followed suit. Slowly, but surely America has been expanding their BIBs. Still relatively cheap (for $20 you can buy 3 litres, equivalent to 4 bottles of vino), the wine has improved tremendously.

I admittedly have snubbed the box wine. HOWEVER, after much praise from a TRUSTING friend, I decided to try one. Black Box has received rave reviews and medals for their wines. We tried the Sauvignon Blanc and was not disappointed. A bit on the fruity side, but refreshing nonetheless...Check them out!

Black Box Wines

So we popped the casserole into a 350 degree oven for 20-25 minutes. Toasted some crostini's drizzled with basil-infused olive oil (from Sapori d'Italia Market) and sea salt. Crumbled bacon was an option for topping and enjoyed :) Cheers!

Cheesy Goodness

Stay tuned - tomorrow we're having DUCK!! 

Post Hibernation - Girl Hunter...

I'm alive! I'm alive! Sadly there has not been a post in months...busy busy, but over the last few months I had the pleasure of reading a new book, "Girl Hunter" by Georgia Pellegrini. Another female-voice for the slow food movement, the book states she is "revolutionizing the way we eat, one hunt at a time". And that she does. With no real hunting experience, she sets out to learn to hunt, fish, and gather food around the world.

http://georgiapellegrini.com/

I, myself, found this book extremely interesting. Although I wouldn't call myself a "hunter", I appreciate the field to table aspect. I grew up going dove hunting every September with my dad. I started off being the bird dog, but a couple of years ago I bought a 4-10 shotgun and have been shooting. The task of killing an animal, cleaning it, preparing it, cooking it, and then eating it, is not one most people experience. I have never been interested in hunting anything other than dove, such as duck or deer, being not so much a fan of the meat, BUT the farther I go in culinary school, the more interest I have in being part of the whole process of killing the animal and cooking it. There is an appreciation there like no other.

So I had been reconsidering my "duck hunting" venture, having liked some recent duck. A family friend had offered to take me, and although still not completely convinced I was ready to kill a duck, I told him that if it wasn't too much hassle, if he could bring me one or two, I would like to clean and cook them. What a pleasant surprise this morning to receive a text stating "I have two ducks for you". My first initial thought was "Oh, shit, I have no idea how to clean them!" Doves are very small and the breasts are the only meat you can eat. You can clean them one of two ways, "breast" them or cut the feet and wings, then cut up the backbone to remove the innards. Presentation-wise, the second way is much more pleasing, but it does take a while. Duck is much bigger and there are more ways to prepare and cook the meat.

Doves

I admit, I watched a YouTube video on cleaning ducks and conversing with an old friend, before going to pick them up. I knew the feathers were going to be a pain in the ass, and I wanted to know what I was getting into before I started.

Male (left) and Female (right) Mallard Ducks

Now that I had the ducks in my possession, I needed hot water with some Dawn dish washing soap. The Dawn would help cut the natural oil that allows the birds to keep dry and warm in the water. Before I dunked them into their bubble bath, I clipped the wings and their feet.

Remove wings and feet

Then into the bubble bath they go! The more hot the water the better. I let them sit for a bit, then rang them out the best I could.

Hot water bath

And the tedious job of plucking begins.... surprisingly it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. You want to be sure to get all the pin feathers you can out.

Plucking

I decided that I wanted to leave the bird as intact as possible. I wanted to not cut into the bird at all, but I couldn't fit my hand up into the body cavity to remove the innards, so I cut up along the backbone just as I have done with the doves. It's very important to remove all the innards, especially the lungs which can be a little tough to get all out. I reserved the livers only, but many keep the hearts and gizzards.

Clean body cavity

After the birds were rinsed and as many of the pin feathers removed. I put them into some water and salt to help remove some of the "gamey" taste.

Ready for some cookin'...

Hopefully I will get to partake in the actual hunting next time. Now I just have to decide on how to prepare and cook them! I'll keep ya posted!

Special thanks to Ike Van Meter for the birds and Marc Ricker for his instructions and help!